they were the einsteins and the carnegies, but they were also the millions of women and men whose names history may not remember, but whose actions helped make us who we are, who built this country, hand by hand, brick by brick. they all came here knowing that what makes somebody an american is not just blood or birth, but allegiance to our founding principles. and the faith in the idea that anyone, from anywhere can write the next great chapter of our story. and that's still true today. just ask alan. alan's here this afternoon. where's alan? there he is, right there. now -- alan was born in mexico, he was brought to this country by his parents when he was a child. growing up alan went to an american school, pledged allegiance to the american flag, felt american in every way, and he was, except for one, on paper. in high school, alan watched his friends come of age, driving around town with their new licenses, earning some extra cash from their summer jobs at the mall, he knew he couldn't do those things. but it didn't matter that much. what mattered to alan was earning an education so